Comprehensive National Defense: Applications for National Defense of Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is a state besieged by many internal and external threats. This paper analyses the relationship between wide-ranging social, structural and economic threats as well as institutional and structural issues that exist within the country's institutional frameworks and seeks to propose adoption a 'Comprehensive National Defense' approach which seeks to integrate the entire military and civilian capacity of a nation in an effort to create an invincible defense. Application of this would require a radical shift from traditional bureaucratic and military structures inherited from the colonial era in an effort to create a more inclusive military and civilian infrastructure capable of thwarting physical and non-physical threats including informational psychological threats. A key aspect of Comprehensive National Defense is enhanced deterrence capability by building infrastructures and institutions as well as training of the general population to ensure the survivability of the state in the eventuality of a full scale or nuclear confrontation.